Page 106 of Twisted Alliance

Gasping and wrapping her hands protectively around her stomach, she begged him. “We are on the holy land. You cannot take a life, especially of an innocent child.”

Her brother scoffed. There was a dark, evil look on his face that she had never seen before.

“I killed my own father for power. Do you think your child or the rules of the land would stop me?”

Her heart jerked in shock. “W-what are you saying?” she whispered. “Your father is my father too…”

Devraj’s eyes flashed darkly. “Yes, Ishwar Gujjar was my unfortunate father. The fool got seduced by a widow who gave birth to me. She kept the secret from him for the longest time, denying my rightful place as the Gujjar heir. When your mother married him, she found out about me. Before my mother died of a disease, she told your mother the truth about my parentage.”

Ishani knew her brother was brought to the Gujjar mansion when he was twelve, just months before she was born. But she knew her mother treated him well and considered him to be her own child. Even Ishani thought of him as her brother rather than her half-brother.

“I was always thought of as a bastard!” her brother raged. “A charity case your mother brought home! Even Ishwar Gujjar doted only on his wife and newborn daughter!”

“Ma loves you,” she said desperately. “You know she treats you as her son and ensured you could take a place as the Gujjar clan head.”

Her brother’s face didn’t soften. “She didn’t do me a favor. That is my rightful place! But I could see how much my father loved his daughter. He made plans to educate you in a proper school. He wanted to groom you as his heir.”

Ishani’s heart twisted as she could imagine her father wanting her to get the best education.

“I had him killed before he could be a threat to me. I ensured there were poisonous snakes kept under the damn marigold plants. He went there each morning to pluck a flower to give to his wife.”

Tears rolled down Ishani’s eyes listening to the details of the cold-blooded murder of her father.

“With him dead, it was easy to show that your mother turned mad with grief. All I had to do was medicate her heavily and use drugs that caused her psychotic outbursts.”

“How could you…” she whispered.

The grief and shock she felt was too much to process.

“I will do anything to gain respect as the rightful heir. Other clan heiresses rejected my offers for marriage alliances calling me illegitimate. With your husband and his family dead, I will gain the power to command this land and take control of the oil from Singoor.”

He looked at her with rage. “Give me the phone.”

That’s when she knew nothing would stop him from killing her. He had killed his own father in a cold-blooded way.

She sucked in a breath. “No.”

Before he could kick her again, she lay on the sand protecting her stomach. A heavy blow landed at her side on her ribs. Blinding pain followed.

She closed her eyes and prayed.

Goddess Shakti. Please help me.

CHAPTER 33

Ishani didn’t know how many blows landed on her side as her brother kicked her. She continued to pray. When she thought she would pass out from the pain, the kicks suddenly stopped.

Ishani tried to remain conscious and not give in to the darkness that threatened to engulf her.

“Sir, we can see a vehicle approaching,” one of the men said.

“Who the hell is it?” her brother asked.

There was a pause. Ishani slowly raised her head to see her brother looking into binoculars.

“Well, well,” she heard her brother say. “Looks like my luck is on the rise. The bastard is coming here by himself.”

Ishani’s heart jerked.

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